The conventional automobile often carrying a single driver-passenger, weighs on the average between 1000 and 1200 kg. and transports an average person of 70 kg. It is well settled that the conventional automobile is highly inefficient, particularly in a city environment in view of the amount of energy in the form of fuel required to move such a vehicle and resultant pollution. No matter how much research is done on engine efficiency, as long as the automobile has the mass referred to above.
In addition, conventional automobiles have a drag coefficient of C.sub.d =0.38 or more. For highway driving, the drag coefficient increases the power requirements of the vehicle. Thus relatively powerful engines are required to overcome the mass and drag coefficient. Such engines add to the overall mass of the vehicle. Fuel consumption is rarely below 7 liters per kilometer.
One of the problems with lightweight vehicles is the lack of stability at higher speed. In order to attain a mass of less than 500 kg. the resulting vehicle would be fragile and somewhat unstable at speed of 100 km. or more, due to aerodynamic lift associated with most conventional body shapes.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,951,222, Fletcher, issued Apr. 20, 1976, shows a lightweight car in the form of a reverse airfoil. Although the aerodynamic lift associated with the automobile shown in this patent is reversed, the automobile in this patent would be subject to lateral instability.